Government told to back off poll boycotters<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The excessive campaign by the government and
\nsome institutions against people planning to boycott the election
\nviolates human rights, a legal expert said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Harkristuti Harkrisnowo of the University of Indonesia's Law
\nSchool said no legal sanctions could be imposed on citizens
\ndeciding not to vote in the May 29 general election.<\/p>\n
Some government officials have said they will take punitive
\nmeasures against those who snub the election.<\/p>\n
Harkristuti said, \"No laws say that abstaining from the
\nelection is a crime or punishable conduct, and it is unethical to
\noblige everybody to vote or use subtle threats to make people do
\nso.<\/p>\n
\"The principle of a free election implies the freedom not to
\nvote,\" she added.<\/p>\n
The dominant political organization Golkar, the Moslem-based
\nUnited Development Party (PPP) and the Christian-nationalist
\nalliance Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) will contest 425 of
\nthe 500 seats in the House of Representatives at the polls.<\/p>\n
The government and some religious organizations have
\nrepeatedly called for people's participation in the general
\nelection and branded the would-be abstainers irresponsible
\ncitizens.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto acknowledged on his recent trip to Aceh
\nthat voting was not mandatory, but said that abstainers could not
\nprotest the election's results. The President warned that people
\nwho encouraged others to boycott the election would be punished.<\/p>\n
Southeast Sulawesi Governor La Ode Kaimoeddin sparked
\ncontroversy early last month when he called for the dismissal of
\nteachers who boycotted the polls, saying they would inspire their
\nstudents to follow suit.<\/p>\n
Harkristuti said that those who stopped people voting or
\nencouraged people not to vote should face legal sanctions.<\/p>\n
But, she said, government officials who promised rewards to
\npeople who vote for Golkar should face the same sanctions.<\/p>\n
\"Such practices have been common prior to general elections,\"
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
Bintang<\/p>\n
Harkristuti said she doubted that rebel politician Sri Bintang
\nPamungkas, who is being detained by the Attorney General's Office
\non subversion charges, had intended to disrupt the general
\nelection with his Idul Fitri greeting cards.<\/p>\n
Bintang, the chairman of the unrecognized Indonesian
\nDemocratic Union Party, sent the cards which carried a message
\nabout the party's program to boycott the polls.<\/p>\n
\"This is an insult to people's intelligence by saying that
\nBintang could persuade those who received his cards to agree with
\nhim. Who is he anyway?\" Harkristuti said.<\/p>\n
Harkristuti said that government officials might even be
\nencouraging the boycott while helping Golkar to another landslide
\nwin. Golkar hopes to win 70.02 percent of votes this election.<\/p>\n
\"Instead of inviting sympathy, the officials' attitudes have
\nallowed antipathy to grow,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The officials' abuse of power to help Golkar win the polls
\nshowed that Golkar lacked self-confidence, Harkristuti said.<\/p>\n
The two minority parties have repeatedly accused the
\ngovernment of stealing the election campaign by holding early
\ncampaign rallies. They said many officials had reserved travel
\ntime to attend meetings of Golkar.<\/p>\n
Golkar leaders have denied any wrongdoing, saying that the PPP
\nand PDI could do the same thing.<\/p>\n
The director general of sociopolitical and security affairs of
\nthe Ministry of Home Affairs, Sutoyo N.K., said yesterday that
\nforeigners were free to monitor the polls, but they had to gain
\npermits from the General Elections Institute.<\/p>\n
\"They (foreigners) will have no trouble getting the permits,\"
\nsaid Sutoyo, who chairs the election screening committee, in a
\nseparate occasion.<\/p>\n
Minister of Home Affairs Moh. Yogie S.M. said early this month
\nthat the government would invite foreign observers. But President
\nSoeharto said Monday this was impossible.<\/p>\n
Sutoyo said yesterday that foreigners would only be allowed to
\nobserve, not investigate, the polls. He said his office had not
\nheard from any foreigners wanting to be observers. (amd\/imn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-told-to-back-off-poll-boycotters-1447893297",
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